Life After Zults

I wrote this in May and never posted it...

Rob and I recently finished a wellness program called "Zults" through the gym I go to.  It was five weeks long and we were part of a nine person team with a team leader.  We earned points for our team by participating in different classes, activities, and ultimately gaining muscle mass, losing fat, etc.

At the beginning of the program we were given a meal plan based on an amount of calories per day.  We were encouraged to eat 90/10 which means 90 percent of the food on the meal plan and ten percent whatever we want.  I was looking forward to the meal planning.  This is probably what motivated me the most to sign up for Zults.  I need to be told what to eat and when to eat it or maybe more importantly what not to eat.

We were supposed to prep our meals on the weekends and then eat the same breakfast, the same lunch, and the same dinner all week.  As we looked over the grocery list, considered the food prep time, and the fact we'd be eating the same meals, we had some reservations about the whole process.  I was concerned we were going to be the "anti-Zults" team members.  Then I realized we were not being Zults rebels, but instead we were tweaking the program.  I work from home and and Rob works next door to home.  We see one another throughout the day and make hot breakfast and lunches for one another often. So we did not do much weekend food prep, but made our meals beforehand.  We liked the idea of eating fresh food and not meals that had been sitting in the fridge all week.

We also did not eat the same meal all week, but again tweaked the meals to fit our grocery budget and the food we had in the house.  We planned our meals to be very similar to the Zults meals so we did not feel like we were cheating at all.  Ultimately we felt if anyone is going to learn from a wellness program, they need to learn to make healthy meals without being told what to eat all the time.  We felt like we were taking a step beyond Zults prematurely.

I have to say I enjoyed almost all the Zults meals and I am saving all the recipes for future use.  I love having Greek yogurt sprinkled with honey and granola and mixed in with berries and bananas for breakfast.  Sometimes I put it all on top of a protein pancake instead of butter and syrup.  I made an egg dish with kale and quinoa that I know I will make again.  I have made a southwest chicken salad several times for lunch that is quite simple but very healthy.  We all enjoyed most of the dinners and there were very few complaints...even the turkey burgers which I was very skeptical about.

We will continue to have honey, Greek yogurt, fresh and frozen fruit, chicken, leafy greens, cottage cheese, and fresh vegetables in the house.  Our protein consumption increased which I believe increases my energy level and decreases my anxiety.

I was able to give up diet soda and drink mostly water.  If this was the only thing I gained from Zults, it was well worth it.  I have always struggled with consuming soda and needing it to get through the day. I only had one pop the whole five weeks on Zults.  The fact I was driving six loud and rambanctious middle schoolers to and from Tacoma for a track meet, I think I deserved that one Mello Yello at Burger King.

As for exercise, I went hard core the first four weeks.  Zults would only allow points for attending classes at the gym.  We would receive points by attending four classes for weeks.  The instructor would punch a weekly punch card.  I wanted to do the four classes a week, but I did not want to give up my workouts with my triathlon friends.  So I attempted to do both. Some weeks I did five 5 AM workouts in a row plus an evening and weekend workout.  One week I did Group Ride on Monday, ran on Tuesday, swam Wednesday morning and R/30 (similar to Group Ride) Wednesday afternoon, Group Power on Thursday, Group Ride on Friday and ran on Sunday.

I felt like I was keeping the pace.  Surprisingly the other areas of my life (my education classes, Bible Study, laundry, housework, kid's activities) flowed together and I did not feel behind.  I remember the third week feeling like my life was synchronized even though I had many things going on all at once.  Except last week starting around Monday I felt like I was falling off the Zults wagon and I had to majorly slow down my pace.  I only ran and went to Power last week.  We had more than normal non-Zults meals and even some unhealthy snacks.  I can blame female issues and a busy schedule, but I think my body was craving a break.  However with the habits I established, I am confident I can continue good eating and exercise next week even though is Zults is over.  Although I am not shooting for four classes a week, but instead taking advantage of outside running and cycling.

When I look back at the last five weeks, Zults came at a good time for us.  We knew going into April, our lives were going to move faster and we would be juggling more activities.  I had hoped to journal throughout Zults about our experience, but my time for anything extra was limited.  Hailey and Derek both ran track.  I worked at two of the three track meets.  Derek continued bi weekly Parkour classes.  Kara started soccer and ran in the Awesome 3000.  Derek and I ran an obstacle course 5K race.  History fair projects times three all had to be completed.  My education classes this quarter include more reading and projects.  Not to mention I made the final decision to close my day care.  I applied for a new job for the fall, interviewed, and was told two days ago I got it! We also had the normal amount of meetings, small group, Book Club, and a few outings with friends. I feel like we needed Zults to help us stay grounded with healthy habits when our stress level was higher.

I did not lose a lot of weight but I was told the number on the scale is not what they base it on.  I did lose about two pounds of total fat and my fat mass decreased by four pounds.  I did gain almost five pounds of muscle which the trainer was surprised about.  He asked if I did extra weight lifting during Zults.  I was more regular to Power and increased my weight a little bit.  I also think it was from carrying the day care babies as well.  He said if I continue to eat the way I did on Zults and exercise the same, I would see a number loss on the scale.  I ate terrible this weekend though so I know this is going to take some willpower.

Ideally I would love to do a sprint triathlon mid summer and an olympic distance triathlon late summer or early fall.  And then a half marathon in the winter.  The triathlon cost is increasing and I don't think I can afford all those races.  A big goal I have is to get on my bike and get some good riding time in.